About: Ted

Bareback riding: 1. (tie) Tanner Aus on Pickett Pro Rodeo Scarlet Fever and Richmond Champion on Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo Fancy Free, 87.5 points, $23,481 each; 3. (tie) Jake Vold and Tim O’Connell, 87, $13,327 each; 5. Jake Brown, 86.5, $6,769; 6. Orin Larson, 85, $4,231. Team roping: 1. Dustin Bird/Russell Cardoza, 3.9 seconds, $26,231; 2. Charly Crawford/Joseph Harrison, 4.5, $20,731; 3. Clay Smith/Paul Eaves, 4.6, $15,654; 4. Dustin Egusquiza/Kory Koontz, 4.7, $11,000; 5. Luke Brown/Jake Long, 4.8, $6,769; 6. Chad Masters/Travis Graves, 5.1, $4,231.

LAS VEGAS – The first-round jitters surprised even Richmond Champion, who is competing at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo for the third time in four years. “Last night was the most nervous that I’ve ever been,” said Champion, who failed to catch a check on opening night but more than made up for it in Round 2 by finishing in a tie for first place. “I said that last year, and it topped it. I was tight. “It was a good wakeup call for me. It was a little disappointing, but it forced me back to the fact that we’re here, we’re back to work. Tonight, I could feel the confidence and felt at home before I got on. That’s a nice feeling.” So was his ride on Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo’s Fancy Free. The two athletes matched moves for 87.5 points, and Champion shared the round victory with Tanner Aus of Granite Falls, Minn. Both cowboys pocketed $23,481. By collecting his first paycheck of the NFR, Champion pushed his season earnings to $134,678. He sits fifth in the world standings, and he’s excited to get off to a solid start. “I’ve never won money this early,” said Champion, who shared the win in Guymon, Okla., on the horse in 2014. “I looked at a few videos of when Caleb (Bennett) got on her here, and I watched Kaycee Feild get on her here. We didn’t cover the ground she normally does. She was spectacular. I was having to hustle to keep up with her.” This is his first round victory since his inaugural NFR in 2014. That year, he won twice and finished with more than $108,000 in 10 days. A year ago, he placed in just three rounds, so this was the perfect way to kickstart his 2017 finale. “It’s good to be back in the winner’s circle,” he said. “Last year’s finals was a challenge. This is a goal checked off the list for this year. You don’t want to let any opportunity go by, so this is an awesome night.” Now the cowboy from The Woodlands, Texas, hopes it just starts the ball rolling. He’s looking forward to what the next eight rounds has to offer. “I was thinking about tomorrow night before I got out of the arena tonight,” Champion said. “We’ve got it going now. The high here is like nothing else. I can’t wait, because every night is a new opportunity. This is a dream come true to have this win coming this early. You never want to run short of confidence here. “You need to stick to the basic things, keep a smile on your face and keep moving forward.” That smile won’t be leaving any time soon.

LAS VEGAS – Tanner Aus knew bareback riding at this year’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo was going to be steller. “The competition here is incredible,” said Aus, who earned a share of the second-round victory Friday night after an 87.5-point ride on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Scarlet Fever. “Everyone showed up to ride. Everyone is in shape. Everyone’s ready.” That includes Aus, a three-time NFR qualifier from Granite Falls, Minn. He shared the victory with Richmond Champion of The Woodlands, Texas, and the two cowboys each earned $23,481. Aus remains No. 2 in the world standings with $170,138, but he still trails the leader, Tim O’Connell, by more than $68,000. It helps, though, to have a great horse. In bareback riding, half the score comes from the animal, and the other half by how well the cowboy rides. “She had just a monster trip today,” Aus said of Scarlet Fever. “I watched that horse before. R.C. Landingham won a round on that horse here last year, so I was pretty happy to have that one. I had a little slow start last night, so it was good to get a good one under my belt.” While he was disappointed in not earning a check in the opening round, Aus didn’t let it bother him. “There’s just way too much up for grabs here, so you’ve got to get refocused, and that’s what I did,” he said. “You have to focus on your fundamentals, and you have to finish strong, be in the position you are supposed to be in when you are supposed to be there. You can’t get crazy. “You can get too excited and override a horse and set yourself up for failure. You really have to stick to your game plan, and that’s what I’m going to try to do.” Every night is vital in Las Vegas. The NFR features an $8 million purse, the biggest in the game. There are eight more nights in the 2017 season for the Minnesota cowboy to cash in. He and his wife, Lonissa, are expecting their first child next spring. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about my wife and the baby we’re expecting,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it very much. But I try to block it out. “The NFR is just blocking out distractions. There are a lot of distractions in this city. Trying to relax during the day has actually been the toughest thing since I’ve gotten here.” He’s happy with the money he’s earned so far, but he knows he has a lot of ground to make up if he has any hopes of catching O’Connell. “You definitely know the mark that’s been set and what you’re shooting for,” Aus said. “Sometimes that’s kind of a daunting task, but I think you just have to stay focused. You can only ride a horse as good as you can and what you are prepared to ride for. “The goal is to stay focused.”

Saddle bronc riding: 1. CoBurn Bradshaw, 89.5 points on Calgary Stampede Tiger Warrior, $26,23;. 2. Sterling Crawley, 83, $20,731; 3. Brody Cress, 82.5, $15,654; 4. Cody DeMoss, 81.5, $11,000; 5. Audy Reed, 78, $6,769; 6. (tie) Taos Muncy and Jake Wright, 76.5, $2,115. Tie-down roping: 1. Trevor Brazile, 7.4 seconds, $26,231; 2. Cade Swor, 7.7, $20,731; 3. Marcos Costa, 8.1, $15,654; 4. Cory Solomon, 8.4, $11,000; 5. Tyson Durfey, 8.8, $6,769; 6. Shane Hanchey, 9.0, $4,231. Barrel racing: 1. Barrel Racing: 1. Amberleigh Moore, 13.54 seconds, $26,231; 2. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 13.62, $20,731; 3. Hailey Kinsel, 13.65, $15,654; 4. Nellie Miller, 13.74, $11,000; 5. Sydni Blanchard, 13.8, $6,769; 6. Kellie Collier, 13.83, $4,231. Bull riding: 1. Garrett Smith, 87 points on Rafter G Rodeo J Lazy, $26,231; 2. (tie) Joe Frost and Sage Kimzey, 86.5 points, $18,192; 4. Trey Benton III, 85.5, $11,000; 5. Jordon Hansen, 84.5, $6,769; 6. Cole Melancon, 78.5, $4,231.

LAS VEGAS – The only difference from his second-round victory in 2017 and his Round 10 round title a year ago is that Garrett Smith gets to enjoy the experience a little more. Everything else was the same Friday night at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. “That’s my second round win on the same bull,” said Smith, 22, of Rexburg, Idaho. “I was really excited last night when they said I had him. That bull fits me really good. I’ve been on him three times, and I’ve actually won the rodeo every time I’ve been on him.” The bull is Rafter J Rodeo’s J Lazy, and Smith actually . On Friday night, he and Smith danced across the Thomas & Mack Center dirt for 87 points. He pocketed $26,231 for winning the round and pushed his NFR earnings to $48,448. The biggest prize came in the form of closing the gap even more on the world-standings leader, three-time world champion Sage Kimzey. Smith has now earned $253,797 in 2017 and trails Kimzey by $11,548. “It’s a good feeling having a fun race like this and have everyone cheer you on,” said Smith, who also rode J Lazy at Cheyenne, Wyo. “My confidence is pretty high at the moment. It feels pretty good. “Tonight was the spinner pen. It only gets harder from now on, so it should be good watching.” He concluded Friday night by attending the Montana Silversmiths Go-Round Buckle Presentation at the South Point. Because he last round title came on the 10th night, there was no presentation. “That is pretty exciting,” he said. “Last year they just gave us our buckles, said good job, and we left. Last year I had it on before I even got to the locker room.” He keeps a simple approach to riding bulls. That’s been key to his season, so there’s no reason to change now. “As long as I just keep smiling and keep my hand close, it’s going to be good watching either way,” Smith said. “I’m having fun.” It shows.